


Smart Sparring

by Sleuth_Hound



Category: Get Smart - All Media Types
Genre: 99 when she's a new recruit, Agent 86 - Freeform, CONTROL headquarters, Developing Friendships, F/M, First Meetings, Friendship/Love, Gen, Judo, Male-Female Friendship, Martial Arts, Max takes a shine to 99, Max takes her under his wing, Max tries to teach 99, Self-Defense, Spies & Secret Agents, The Chief puts up with a lot, The first signs of their love?, Training to be a spy, how they met story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27082651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleuth_Hound/pseuds/Sleuth_Hound
Summary: A how-they-first-met story for 99 and 86 when 99 is still a new recruit. Max attempts to teach 99 some self-defence with unsurprisingly little success. A (hopefully nice) light, blossoming friendship story.
Relationships: Agent 99/Maxwell Smart
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Smart Sparring

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first (and definitely not last) debut into the wonderful, wacky world of writing Get Smart, spurred into action by the amazing good fortune of a couple of the DVDs falling into my possession. Max, to me anyway, seemed to, especially in the first season, often treat 99 a bit like his apprentice and as such be giving her advice or trying to teach her things so that is really where this idea came from.  
> Please let me know what you think, I'd love to hear!
> 
> Get Smart was the property of NBC, then CBS and is now the property of Warner Bros and I humbly write this in awe to the creations of Mel Brooks, Buck Henry, Don Adams and Barbara Feldon and with much-appreciated thanks for doing so.

“Max, I’ve found you a sparring partner” Standing barefooted and robed in white within the CONTROL training gym, Agent 86 was just about to express his desire to tangle with some fresh talent but the idea was cut-short, leaving him speechless, when he noticed the beautiful young girl with bobbed hair and large doe-like eyes standing behind the Chief. It took a couple of moments but once the penny had finally dropped, his eyes widened as he realised that she would be his new challenge.

  
“Err Chief?” Max leaned in and drew the older man into a conspiratorial whisper; had they been in his office the Head of CONTROL was almost certain the Cone of Silence would have been requested next. Since no Cone was available in the sparsely furnished training arena, Agent 86 made-do with low almost-whispered muttering; “she’s a _woman_.”

  
_It was going to be one of those days_ , the Chief couldn’t help but feel. Then again, any and every day that was working with Maxwell Smart ended up being one of those days. “Very observant of you to notice Max.” He quipped testily back.

  
Max, still keeping his voice hushed but tinged with a slight whine, persisted; “but Chief, you know I can’t fight a woman! Supposing I hurt her?”  
 _Yep, one of those days._

  
Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose or bury his head into his hands and not come out for a week, the Chief instead faced the situation he’d been dealt, no matter how unwillingly; “She’s also a CONTROL agent Max, there is no preferential treatment amongst agents. Besides it’s only training so you won’t be using any lethal techniques,” he paused as if to second guess this for a moment before reiterating in a slightly concerned tone, “ _will you?_ ” The reluctant agent just shot him an incredulous look which the Chief took as his cue to leave immediately.

  
Max would have argued this point further but the Chief of CONTROL made for the exit in a pace that was a little too quick to be natural and was long gone before any further protestations could be made. This just left him and the girl – a quite lovely girl at that. She too was dressed in the white training uniform similar to his that complimented her slim and elegant frame and she smiled kindly at him with big innocent eyes. _How could he fight that?!_ Wondering if the biggest challenge of his career was going to come from his own side, Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, returned the greeting with his own genuinely warm, if a little goofy smile. “Good afternoon, Miss...?”

“Oh, you can call me 99; Agent 99.” There was that warm glow of a smile again, accompanied with a soft and gentle voice; _completely and utterly disarming and the sparring hadn’t even begun yet!_

  
In return, Max bowed; partly mimicking a sort of suave greeting he’d seen on a British spy movie recently, and partly because it was the done thing before you fought with an opponent. And regrettably she was an _opponent_.

“Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, at your service.” He contemplated if he’d ever reach the point of knowing this young woman’s real name or if, after this, she’d simply disappear back into the number jumble of the secret service. _Or perhaps, if he beat her too badly, she may never want to speak with him again._ The more senior spy couldn’t help but feel that that would be a real pity. He could tell from his instant impression of this girl; he liked her, she possessed the right stuff, she was certainly one of the good guys - and Max prided himself on being a good judge of character. There was something else there too that he felt for the girl; something vague and indistinguishable but very potent, Max couldn’t put his finger on it but something about this girl affected him. Sure, she was beautiful but there was also something else – _something more_ – that was just beyond his comprehension at that moment.

Whilst Agent 86 formed an elementary starting position with feet apart, one hand raised before him, the other open palmed at his waist, his sparring partner just looked at him with wide eyed interest. “Now, don’t you worry 99, I promise I won’t hurt you. I’ll just demonstrate a few basic methods of defending yourself.”

The recent recruit nodded her understanding; “Ok 86.”

“There’s no need to be so formal; call me Max.” She rewarded him with that smile again, so friendly and inviting; _oh boy, this was going to be difficult._  
The girl was around the same height as him, and Maxwell Smart, although not exactly a weakling, wasn’t exactly Mr Universe either but, he felt bad regardless for having to fight such a shy looking young woman and promised himself he’d be as gentle as possible. Unfortunately, it still did little to quell the prickling anxiety that was building within him at the thought he might unintentionally hurt her. In all his years in service to his country, Agent 86 never relished hurting anyone particularly, especially female, but something about this girl - that _indistinguishable something_ again - warned him if he harmed her it would be something he’d never forgive. Nevertheless, he tried his hardest to suppress those feelings; he was a CONTROL spy, one of the best, and thus had no time for being sentimental about something as simple as a pretend fight. _But even so..._

“Now 99, I want you to come at me with your best attack, and I’ll deflect it, but don’t worry, I’ll be gentle. Got it?”

“Sure Max but -” the younger agent stalled, looking a little reluctant and Max felt a small glow of warmth that clearly he wasn’t the only one that was having doubts about this arrangement. Evidently they were both kindred spirits on this one.

  
The senior agent tried his best to sound convinced by the whole set up and completely in control of the situation when he replied to her unspoken concerns; “Don’t worry 99. It’s only practice and I promise you won’t be harmed. I’m an expert in unarmed combat so no matter how good your attack I’m positive I will be able to deflect it without injuring either of us. So give me your best shot!”

  
With hesitation clearly still clouding her deep blue eyes, the newly assigned agent released a surprisingly swift and precise strike to her opponent’s side and, when a shocked Maxwell Smart doubled over from the blow, she followed it through with a fluid motion in the form of a chop to the shoulder.” Her features switched from stunned surprise to horror when she saw Max lay sprawled on the mat before her. _Could she get into trouble for dispatching a fellow, more senior agent?_

“Oh Max!”

Groaning and groggy, Max slowly recovered his senses from where he fell and made a shaky effort to his feet. He looked as if he wasn’t entirely sure what had hit him.

“Oh Max, I’m so sorry!” 99 sounded positively distraught that she may have hurt him and 86 was pleased that she was at least just as sweet-natured and thoughtful as he’d initially read her to be. After she’d apologetically helped him up and asked countless times if he were alright, the distress in her beautiful blue eyes finally started to subside a little; half in relief that her partner didn’t seem too badly shaken from the experience and half because he almost appeared reasonably impressed by her display. However, partly out of personal pride and partly out of beginner’s luck, Max decided not to over-do the praise too early on.

“Not too shabby 99” he declared noncommittally as he brushed his arms down his sleeves for make-believe dust. “Now,” he positioned himself in the starting stance once more, “this time, I’ll attack and you block, alright?”

Despite, the deceivingly confident tone of his voice, Agent 86 wasn’t too sure of this plan either. Even though he would never intend it, he did have a habit of creating accidents, so what if he accidently hit 99? On the other hand, the freshly recruited spy wasn’t going to learn to defend herself by him just standing there getting cold feet (and the floor of the gym was a bit chilly). Max silently prayed that he’d calculated the attack correctly to have enough velocity to appear convincing whilst at the same time have enough restraint left to prevent the blow from actually striking should she not block in time. Lunging forward to strike, he needn’t have worried; the younger agent with relative ease grasped his outstretched arm and tossed him rather roughly over her shoulder in a basic judo throw. Once again, Maxwell Smart found himself getting acquainted with the floor of the CONTROL gym.

“Oh Max!” Before the senior spy could get together his thoughts from the helter-skelter his brain had just been sent on, he heard the concerned cries of his sparring partner. “I’m so sorry!”

~~~~~

The Chief was getting twitchy. He’d tried combating his feelings of doubt and anxiety by tackling the merciless onslaught of paperwork that was inevitably created by running a top secret, highly confidential force of niceness against evil but his mind kept wandering back to the subject at hand. It had been over 2 hours since he’d left his most promising recruit and most trying agent together and, despite the fact he felt heartened that he’d received no reports that either of them had been hospitalised (and tried to draw strength from that), the truth was he was still worried. His nerves just wouldn’t allow him complete peace of mind until he checked in on the pair to see that one hadn’t fatally injured the other (or knowing Max, fatally injured both of them). At this sobering thought the ominous rumbling of dread in the pit of his stomach intensified and with haste, the Chief manoeuvred around his desk to leave.

  
He wasn’t exactly sure what he expected to find as he re-entered the training gym at CONTROL’s headquarters but the scene he was greeted with certainly wasn’t on his top 10. Agent 86 was on his knees and completely immobilised; pinned by the younger agent who held her senior in some sort of lock. With one arm bent awkwardly behind his back and his neck wearing 99’s arm like a scarf, they did make an odd looking pair.

  
The Head of CONTROL sighed wearily to himself; he hadn’t exactly expected the match to be perfect but this? He had been hoping _(subtly of course)_ to find some sort of grounding structure for Max; someone who he’d be able to trust and would compliment his work _style_ whilst at the same time try to prevent any of the little _mishaps_ that seemed to occur when the infamous agent was near. Young and resourceful Agent 99 seemed like a suitable candidate for the “position” – _had seemed_ , that is. Involuntarily he found himself burying his eyes into the palms of his hands and letting out a defeatist groan, before eventually, and rather begrudgingly, proceeding across the room to assess the damage. It was only as he got closer, the older man realised that they weren’t in disagreement; Smart was relaying instructions and the new spy 99, was keenly listening with engrossed interest, clearly attempting to gleam any _expertise_ from her partner’s _experience_.

“Now 99, see how you’ve pinned my right arm, leaving me completely unable to draw any weapons? It’s also useful I find to apply the headlock at the same time to avoid any unexpected counter attacks whilst you believe your opponent is helpless. The old _pretend-to-be-immobilised-then-attack-when-not-expecting-it trick_! I, err, fell for it last month,” he admitted a little sheepishly, although the confession didn’t seem to dampen the admiring sparkle in the young girl’s eyes for even a moment. “You’ve got it almost perfect, just a little tighter around the neck.” Obediently, the young spy followed the instructions and cautiously reinforced her grip a little.

  
“Little tighter...” Max perfected and 99’s concerned expression grew but still she obeyed.

  
“Little tighter... little tighter... little tight- _ekk_!” alarmed by the sudden strangled sound, Max found himself immediately released from his young partner’s hold and, unexpectedly left unsupported, dropped to the mat like a large wet sock. He laid there dramatically in a classic splat pose for a couple of seconds before, unsteadily gathering his hands underneath him and propping himself up slightly; “little too tight 99.”

  
~~~~

After the minor miscalculation of the 2-way lock that 86 had insisted his partner would need to know, the pair decided to call it a day in the line of training. One appeared much like she’d come in; pristine, neat and, apart from a little tired, perfectly unharmed, the other however, appeared more like he’d been thrown out of the 4 storey window into the attack dog kennels – nevertheless he was still beaming from ear to ear. It was clear to their boss who’d won their ‘fight’. The Chief intentionally hung back from the excitable duo as they walked and talked together of what they’d learned that day but still couldn’t help but notice the gentlemanly way Max had loosely placed his hand against the small of 99’s back as they walked or the protective way he glared at the other male agents in the gym who were visibly appreciating her willowy grace in the white robe. Once 86 had finished shooting a last few death stares in certain spies’ directions, he returned to telling his new protégé all about his prowess at unarmed combat;

  
“Would you believe I was CONTROL’s martial arts champion for 5 years running! 5 years!”

  
99 considered him with large, gracious eyes and smiled appreciatively; “Really Max? That’s unbelievable!”

  
“Oh,” taking her comment rather literally, her partner tried a different tact; “would you believe _2 years_?” emphasising his point by holding up the corresponding fingers.

  
Whatever he was claiming, the Chief took most of Max’s experience with a rather heaped table spoon of salt but upon noticing the inspiring influence he was having on the younger agent; her face awash with awe-filled fascination, he decided not to mention it and spoil the blossoming bonds of friendship that were forging before his eyes.

  
Maxwell Smart was a genuinely warm, loyal and kind man but not a lot of agents were willing to work with him for long periods – somehow their already amply dangerous jobs felt much more perilous with him around or so they would say – but where other spies saw Max’s oafish clumsiness and reluctance to see situations clearly as a hindrance, this new recruit seemed to only see his awkwardness as charming and endearing and his hopeful view for the world as inspiring, this, combined with her gentle patience and generous spirit, appeared to make them a perfect match – _certainly a rare thing in the espionage business_. The Chief smiled to himself slyly in congratulations on a plan well done; to hurl two otherwise unlikely to meet single agents into a partnership that _just_ might work. _Who knows? They might just end up my top agents!_ He considered in a half joke just as Max managed to trip over the edge of a crash mat and fling himself across the room, finishing up over the parallel bars where he remained draped facedown like a white, dishevelled towel.Still hanging in his bat-like position on the bars, Max apologetically eyed the Chief of CONTROL who was exasperatedly pinching the bridge of his nose and appeared to be counting to 10 in his head - all upside from his point of view, of course. “Err sorry about that Chief.”


End file.
